


a vision of the start and the end

by PyroKlepto



Category: Psych
Genre: Demon-hunting, Demons, F/M, Ghosts, Halloween, Horror, It gets better I promise, Monster-hunting, Monsters, Psychtober, basically this is Carlton and Juliet if they were hunters like the Winchesters, the first chapter or two are weak as hell and I admit it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:02:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8437783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyroKlepto/pseuds/PyroKlepto
Summary: they never asked for this legacy. they never asked for this responsibility to be put on their shoulders. but it happened nevertheless. now they must face the evil together and pray they don't fail.(carlton faces the darkness within his soul. perhaps juliet is more alone than it seems.)





	1. in the beginning (prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this for Psychtober. This month has been hell for me, so I only just started writing this. I like the idea I had, and it could go for a few more chapters at least, so this will probably be an ongoing thing. For anyone who likes my story, "A Living Scar", you'll probably enjoy this one, especially the second half.
> 
> The summary says it all, and what it doesn't say is explained somewhat in the beginning of Chapter 2. So yeah; enjoy, and feel free to leave comments with ideas or input!

The ground shuddered, concrete caving in on itself in a shower of grey dust. The moon hung heavy in a dark sky, ruddy red as ghostly shreds of cloud drifted in front of it. All the night was filled with the howl of the wind and the thunderous cracking of the very world splitting open.

Juliet stumbled outside, clinging to porch railing to keep from falling as the ground shook. Her gaze lifted to the sky above, and the sight caused her heartbeats to falter in her chest.

For a moment, she did nothing but stand and stare out at the darkness. And then she gingerly made her way to her car and slid into the driver’s seat. The engine hummed to life, and she started to drive. 

It was difficult to do through the quaking; she went half the speed limit, struggling to keep her car steady. Finally, she pulled up outside the police station. Crowds of people - people who worked in the SBPD - stood on the steps of the station, clutching onto the railings and staring at the sight before them in varying degrees of horror.

“What’s happening?”

“We have to evacuate.”

“Holy mother of god…” 

“I have to get home, I have to get to my family!”

The panicked words of policemen and receptionists faded away as Juliet watched cracks thread through the streets, tendrils stretching out from some larger disturbance - a larger crack, somewhere near the ocean.

“Hey.”

The quiet voice came from behind her, familiar and somehow audible through the chaos. She turned, gripping the railing to keep from falling, to face Carlton. His eyes were wider than usual, sky blue startlingly stark against the paleness of his face and the darkness of his hair. 

“I… know what’s happening.” He searched her face for a moment, as though wondering whether she would find him crazy, and then turned to look out over the cracks slowly but surely spreading through the streets.

Juliet followed his gaze, heartbeats rushing in her head. “You too…?” she said softly. 

Before he could respond, the world shuddered underneath them and they fell just as a dark crevasse split the city in two.

 

Juliet sat up sharply, eyes wide, hair mussed, heart racing madly in her chest. She remained still, breathing hard, looking around. No reddish moon, no darkness, nothing destroying the foundation of the city… just her room. There were her two cats at the foot of the bed, meowing for food. There was her scarf, where she had draped it the night before, too tired to put it away after returning from her walk. There was the glass of water on the nightstand beside her bed.

Inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm herself, Juliet got out of bed. “It was just a nightmare,” she told her cats - Jacky, the black one, and Copper, the ginger one - as she reached out to pet both of them.

But somehow, it just… didn’t feel like simply a nightmare.

She took her phone with her on her way to the kitchen, dialing Carlton’s number. She received no response, to either that or her text.

The nightmare ate away at her throughout the morning. She couldn’t banish it from her head while she brewed coffee and made herself toast with cottage cheese. She couldn’t stop thinking about it as she poured Copper and Jacky their own food. It replayed in her mind as she did the dishes. It whispered in her ear as she tried a second time, then a third time to get a hold of Carlton.

Finally, she went to the closet and put on her jacket. “I’ll be back later, guys. Be good.”

Jacky mewed in response, just before Juliet shut the door and made her way to her car. The air was crisp and almost a better wake-up call than the coffee she had drank earlier.

It didn’t take long to drive to Carlton’s house. As she pulled up alongside the curb, she saw him outside, raking leaves. 

He stopped moving when he heard the engine of her car, and looked up to watch as she turned it off and came outside. “Don’t you see enough of me at work? Why come see me on my day off?”

It was a joke, though if one didn’t know him well enough, it just might have come across as irritated. “This explains why you weren’t answering your phone, Carlton. I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.”

Carlton tilted his head. “Is everything okay?” 

Juliet sighed, pushing her hands into her pocket. “I had a dream…” 

A grin crossed his face, and he arched both eyebrows. “You should have called me sooner, even if it wasn’t morning yet. I’d have come over.”

Juliet wasn’t sure whether she wanted to laugh or punch him. Or both. “Not _that_ kind of dream, Carlton! Look, this isn’t a joke. It’s bothering me. I need to talk about it. Okay?” She wasn’t even certain why she needed to tell him about her nightmare - only that she felt deep down that it was a serious matter that Carlton had to know about.

His joking demeanour faded and he leaned his rake against the trunk of the tree. “Okay.” He kicked away a pile of russet and yellow leaves, giving off a crackling sound. “Let’s go inside. You had coffee yet?”

“Yeah, but I could use another cup.” Juliet followed him to the house, hooking her hand in the crook of his arm and holding onto him. He made no move to pull away - that had stopped a few weeks ago, when both of them finally came to terms with their feelings, and realised they had no need to hide them from each other.

She did eventually let go so that he could go brew them some coffee. “So. What is it about this dream that has you so stressed out, O’Hara?” 

He hadn’t quite broken the habit of calling her by her last name yet, though.

“It wasn’t a dream, it was more of a nightmare,” Juliet started, tracing shapes on the table with her finger. 

Carlton took two mugs out of the cupboard and set them down, not looking back at her. “What, like a ghosts-ghoulies-and-goblins kind of nightmare?”

“No.” Juliet paused for a moment, and then finally launched into a description of everything that had happened in her dream. “I woke up - in the dream - and the ground was shaking. I got out of bed, and I went outside. It was like an earthquake, only… I don’t know. It was more intense. I drove to the department, and--”

“--and the entire city was caving in on itself. Cracks were spreading through the streets, and there was a loud rumbling noise coming from somewhere near the beach. I looked at you and said I knew what was happening. And then the street outside the SBPD split apart.” Carlton turned to look at her, his expression one of both fascination and concern.

Juliet stared at him, a chill running down her spine. “How did you…” 

He regarded her quietly for a moment before responding in a nearly inaudible voice, his eyes a scarce bit wider than normal, “I had the same nightmare.”


	2. from fighters of crime to fighters of darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the first half of this chapter is an info-dump. As I said in the tags, I just wanted to get into the heart of the story instead of detail each of the weeks where Juliet and Carlton just deny everything is happening. This was a lazy way of doing things, and I'm sorry. But I hope the next chapters of these two being monster/demon/ghost hunters is worth it. 
> 
> Feel free to leave input and suggestions!

Once upon a time, there was a group of folk known as druids. They had the ability to see into the future and give prophecies to those who were not as in tune with gods and goddesses as themselves.

When danger began to rise, the druids were the ones to warn their tribes and their families. Once warned, plans could be made. Sometimes they would change the course of the future - other times, plots would fail, and evil would win.

But the only time that the druids predicted a future event that could not be changed was the destruction of the Celtic tribes; the way they became war-torn, fighting with other nations until eventually, they faded into nothingness and were converted to the beliefs and causes of their conquerers. 

The Goddess Danu, however, gave the druids a promise before the Celts became no more. Their conversion to other religions would strip them of their powers; they would no longer see the future, or have the ability to heal the wounded as they did now. 

However, if ever in the future, a great darkness began to rise - those who were the descendents of druids would have their family’s power returned to them, so that they could wage battle against the approaching evil.

The druids took solace in knowing that, should ever there be a dire need for help, the Goddess would make sure there were some in the world that would be equipped to fight for good.

And, dear Reader, this was the case in the city of Santa Barbara. 

Through their dreams - though with much frustration, disbelief, and denial - Carlton Lassiter and Juliet O’Hara eventually realised just what was happening in their home.

They were descended from two separate druids; and as such, in the face of rising evil, had suddenly inherited their ancestor’s power. Through the realm of dreams, they could see what was and what would soon come.

And what they saw frightened them more than any case they had faced in the mortal world thus far.

The demon Apollyon had made a decision. Weary of ruling over his armies far down in the depths of hell, he wished to expand his horizons. And what better place to go to first than the world of humans, many of whom didn’t even believe in the existence of such supernatural things as demons?

On the night before Halloween, the boundaries between the spiritual world and the mortal world weakened. And so, on that night a rift would tear between worlds; and portals to hell would open across the earth, allowing the legions of wicked creatures to roam free. 

But for weeks before that, small openings between the worlds would appear; allowing spirits and beasts to escape in small numbers and wreak havoc.

And so not only did it fall upon the descendents of druids across the world to stop Apollyon from carrying out his plan, but so did it fall upon them to stave off the creatures of evil that managed to free themselves from their underworldly prison.

As the nearest druid descendents to the area in Santa Barbara where the portal would soon open, it was up to Carlton Lassiter and Juliet O’Hara to stop this from happening.

It was quite the adjustment.

 

“McNab, Ruiz, will you keep people away from here? It’s a crime scene, not a peep show,” Carlton ordered, pointing warningly at a young man who kept trying to push past the yellow police tape to look at the grisly scene behind it. “Back off.”

Buzz McNab nodded, shutting the door of his squad car and following Ana Ruiz to focus on crowd control. Carlton turned back to Juliet, a sigh just barely escaping his lips. “What do you think?”

Juliet moved a little closer so that she could whisper unheard by anyone else around them; coroners, bystanders, cops - anyone might hear if she weren’t careful. “It looks like another werewolf attack…” 

“Great.” Carlton glanced back at the scene before them. Gruesome. Blood everywhere, the remains of what seemed to be a human scattered across the leaf-strewn ground. “Doesn’t look like it was biting to convert either. Okay…” Another sigh, this one a little louder. “Let’s pass it off as a mountain lion attack when the press asks about it. That’s the closest we can get without sounding like completely delusional whackadoos.”

Juliet nodded, turning to address the people crowding around. She was definitely a good actor, Carlton reflected, as he turned to study the crime scene once more. She sounded much more convincing about the mountain lion than he could have, given the circumstances. He probably would have simply come across as irritable.

Which he was.

After another few hours, people had begun to disperse. Evidence was being carried off to be analysed, curious bystanders had given up and left, and policemen were beginning to drive back to the station. Juliet and Carlton, however, stayed behind in his car for a bit longer.

“So what are we going to do?” Juliet asked.

Carlton was quiet for a long moment, hands resting loosely on the steering wheel as he stared outside at the still-bloodstained patch of ground. “What else can we do? We have to get rid of it before it kills someone else.”

“What?”

Carlton turned to look at her again, a silent question in his eyes.

“Carlton…” Juliet sighed. “I understand where you’re coming from, but… they don’t know what they’re doing.”

“They’re a werewolf and last night, they tore a man apart,” Carlton replied. “Are you seriously trying to defend that?”

“No! But they’re not just an animal. They’re a human during the day, and when the moon isn’t full,” Juliet said. “They don’t know what they’re doing when they’re in wolf form.”

It was Carlton’s turn to sigh, as he turned the key and started the engine. “What can we do then? Either we kill it, or it attacks and kills more people. There aren’t a lot of options here. I don’t like it anymore than you do.”

A silence fell upon them for a few moments as Carlton continued driving back to the station. Before long though, Juliet spoke up again.

“You’re right. But if I can find a way to cure them instead of kill them, can we go that route?” Juliet asked. Carlton could feel her eyes on him.

He was quiet as he thought. He hated the idea of this as much as - if not more than - she did. He hadn’t wanted to be dragged into any of this to begin with; werewolves, demons, monsters you heard of in stupid movies and not real life… it had been weeks now, and he still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that this all wasn’t some strange dream. That the ‘prophetic’ dreams he kept having were just normal dreams and he was still stuck in one.

But even if it was a dream… as long as there was a chance it wasn’t, he couldn’t allow bad things to happen.

“Yes. But only if you find another way.” He stopped for a red light, eyes focused on the road ahead. 

A brief moment passed and then a warm hand nudged its way underneath his own and pried it off the steering wheel. At first, he didn’t respond… but then he shook his head slightly and intertwined his fingers willingly with Juliet’s.

“I know this isn’t exactly a situation you want to be in,” she began quietly, her thumb stroking over his hand. “I don’t want to be in it either. But we can figure it out together, and when it’s over, I’m sure everything will be back to normal.”

The light turned green. Carlton urged the car forward again, but steered with one hand, his other still wrapped safely in Juliet’s. “I hope so. This sort of crap is more up Spencer’s alley than mine. It’d figure I’m the one who gets stuck with the weird supernatural ancestry.”

Juliet laughed. “It just means you’re more special. Both of us are. Isn’t that a _good_ thing?” Her tone was teasing.

“Not in this way,” Carlton grumbled. He glanced sideways at her before turning back to the road. “Anyway. We’re almost back to the station. I guess we’re meeting up at my place again tonight to figure out what to do about all of this?”

“Sure. I’ll bring the books I bought over at Willow Grimbley’s occult shop.” Juliet laughed a bit. “Who would have thought that having a shop like that around here would be useful? And that it would apparently be the real deal and not just a bunch of fake paraphernalia?”

Carlton rolled his eyes, pulling into the parking lot of the SBPD. “I’m still not sure any of it is real, including anything going on. I’m going to wake up at some point with a terrible hangover, tangled in sheets on the floor.”

Juliet laughed, ducking her head to press a kiss to his hand before finally letting go of it just as he parked the car. The two of them exited the vehicle and made their way inside.

As they did so, Carlton couldn’t help but think that there was nothing more he wanted right now than to be able to wake up from this, and return to normal life; a life where he was not part of a Halloween movie.

But people don’t always get what they want. Sometimes, they get the exact opposite.


End file.
